Archive   |   December, 2010

baby deer and holiday cheer

Posted by in holidays, surfing

fawn_floor

Last week, we received the above photo in a Christmas card from our friend JoAnn Locktov of Bella Figura Communications. We had to learn more, and JoAnn was happy to oblige. The fawn is named Twitter and he’s reclining on a floor by New Ravenna, but that’s not the whole story. Twitter is one of 15 deer rescued as babies and rehabilitated at Shore Wildlife Rehab in Keller, Virginia. It’s obvious that the licensed rehabilitators at Shore are in it for the love of animals, from deer to owls to even bald eagles, so if you’d like to help them out, click here. And be sure to read more about the fawn photo shoot (plus see lots more completely adorable photos) at Sarah Baldwin Design, where you can also learn more about the animal rescuers.

Shelterrific will be back after Christmas. Happy holidays, everyone. Peace out!

peace_out

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making christmas memories: crocheted ornaments

Posted by in crafting, holidays

christmas future

It will be a long time before my wee ones are out on their own and decorating for the holidays. In the meantime, however, I have a talented mother-in-law who likes to keep busy making things. So when she asked me last Christmas if we needed more crocheted snowflakes and bells for our tree, I could tell she was disappointed when I truthfully answered, “No.” Then I suggested she keep making as many as she likes and I’ll put them in my hope chest for when the kids are grown. Fast forward a year, and I’d forgotten about the conversation until MIL handed me two Ziploc bags full of a dozen bells and a dozen snowflakes each. Although they won’t see any use for over a decade and aren’t mine to keep, they’re easily my favorite gift of the season so far. Want to try your hand at crocheted snowflakes? Free instructions here. — Sarah L.

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lists made simple with google documents

Posted by in organizing

google docs

This may be so very “Type A” of me, but hear me out. It’s been a crazy year with friends getting married and moving, so my address organization is in less than stellar shape, to be kind. Luckily, just before sitting down for a marathon coffee and holiday card writing session I was introduced to the form function in Google Documents. This piece of Google’s stable of handy applications allows you to create, er, forms with customizable fields that can be easily mailed to contacts. The most genius part? Google then creates a running spreadsheet in your account that is updated in real time as recipients fill out the form. I asked for addresses, designating fields for name, street name, number and apartment, city, state and zip code and by the time I sat down to write I had an organized list of contact information for everyone who will be receiving a little cheer this year. Simple? Yes, but a little trick that makes a big difference! –Sarah C.

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real life test kitchen: coconut bread pudding with banana macadamia nut caramel sauce

Posted by in cooking

hawaiianbrunch

As some of you readers know by now, I just got back from Oahu. It was fantastic, to say the least, and though it’s great to be home for the holidays, I can’t stop trying to hold on to every last drop of Hawaii. So, of course I’m celebrating my Christmas island-style: with a Hawaiian-inspired brunch, centered around a coconut bread pudding with banana macadamia caramel sauce. The custard is basically a traditional Hawaiian delight, Haupia — coconut milk sweetened with sugar and thickened with arrowroot. It makes an amazing (and Vegan!) custard base to be poured over a sweet Hawaiian bread, with a rich, silky mouthfeel and heavenly tropical perfume. I topped the puddin’ with a decadent banana macadamia nut caramel, which has the special addition of red alaea sea salt, that adds an addictive finish and a touch of crunch. And it pairs beautifully with POG (passion orange guava juice) mimosas, grilled Portuguese sausage, and ripe papaya for a very “mele Kalikimaka”. –Megan B. Click for coconut bread pudding with banana macadamia nut caramel sauce! (more…)

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here’s a tradition: maple syrup snow candy

Posted by in cooking, living with kids

maple candy
maple candy2

I must have read “Little House in the Big Woods” 20 times growing up. It wasn’t until I became a parent, however, that I decided to try and make maple syrup snow candy myself. Now it’s something that we do every year, without fail. In the book, the making of maple syrup brought the whole extended family together for a dance and hard work, of course. There was the hauling in of the sap buckets, the heating of the big kettles, the stirring for hours on end. Fortunately for us, making it now is as simple as grabbing syrup from the store and waiting for a good snowfall.

To start, heat up about a cup of real maple syrup on the stove until it begins to bubble. Add one tablespoon of butter and stir until melted. Keep stirring for 6-7 minutes so it doesn’t boil over. (You’ll know it’s ready when the syrup mix starts to form hard balls when it drips off the spoon.) Remove from heat. While the syrup mixture is cooling for a few minutes, run outside and fill several plates or roasting pans with snow. Bring in and drizzle spoonfuls of the syrup mixture over the snow. (Just make sure everyone stands back for this part, especially the little ones. Although the mix has cooled a bit, it’s still very hot!) That’s it — instant maple candy. Want an even easier way? If the first snowfall happens to hit right before bedtime, you’ll get no complaints if you drizzle syrup straight out of the fridge over the snow. It won’t be quite as candy-like, but it’s still the perfect winter treat of sweet and cold. — Sarah L.

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